Harmonix may have moved on to Rock Band, but the Guitar Hero franchise still goes strong. The third Guitar Hero features online play, a great song list, and the best fake guitar money can buy. But did Tony Hawk developer Neversoft shred this one up too much? Do a few glaring issues keep this hero from saving the day?

Usually giant robot fighting is a great way to spend a weekend, hell, even a week. But sometimes it just makes us want to throw our PSP across the room and scream, \"No, bad PSP!\" Rengoku is somewhere in-between. Want to know what the relevance to the acronym H.E.A.V.E.N is? Or if giant robot action and 4-player wireless will save Rengoku II? Or will our Matt James be able to look at his PSP the same after having gone through not one, but two Rengokus? Is it a metaphoric stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N or is there some literal, Jungian translation? Will Led Zeppelin come and play at my birthday party? Well, to quote the great Wayne Campbell: \"No stairway. DENIED!\"

It\'s about damn time the video game industry got a respectable awards ceremony (that\'s a big f#$%-you to Spike TV, by the way). BAFTA actually has given awards to games that deserve them. To all the development companies out there, who put so much hard work into their games, there\'s finally a way to give to them the honor and respect they deserve. This is truly a first step to viewing video games as an art form. This year, LocoRoco and Tom Clany\'s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter get their due, as do Lego Star Wars II: the Original Trilogy, Dr. Kawashima\'s Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain?, and The Movies, among others.

Ninjas will be ninjas. That\'s the story from Ninja Gaiden III, the link between Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden II. In this week\'s edition of That Retro Review, Chris tackles the tough, nay, the nigh-impossible, Ninja Gaiden III: the Ancient Ship of Doom. He slaughtered Clancy, and took out the BIO-NOID trash. Come on in, it\'s ninja magic time, baby!

In-game advertising will have a large impact on the future of the game industry. Not only can it represent another form of post-release content delivery, it helps fund the developers that make the games we love. However, there\'s bound to be some bad implementations as the technology gets going, where game companies test their boundaries to see what gamers will accept. 2K and Gas Powered Games included a voiced NPC in Dungeon Siege II: Broken World that directly references an upcoming PSP game, and it\'s sparked a bit of a negative response from gamers. Take a look here for the details.

Following the release of King\'s Quest I and II from AGD Interactive, Infamous Adventures has released a VGA re-make of King\'s Quest III: To Heir is Human. AGD Interactive and Infamous Adventures are both enthusiast developers that have taken it on themselves to reintroduce gamers to the wonders of some of Sierra Online\'s most significant franchises. Made on the versatile Adventure Game Studio, this VGA remake of King\'s Quest III: To Heir is Human let\'s gamers experience one of the best games of all time as if it were new. Plus, it\'s free.

Hearts of Iron II: Doomsday may not be the casual gamer\'s best intro to the uberhardcore world of wargaming, but it\'s not half bad, either. If you\'re a n00b to the strategy wargame, then you might want to cut your teeth somewhere else. But if you\'re aching for some serious, strategic global warfare, then Hearts of Iron II: Doomsday might be worth your weekend. Get the full review from our shell-shocked reporter, Sean Hilliard.

Since we first saw GalacticCivilizationsII:DreadLords at E3 2005, we were hooked. Ready to take on the universe, so to speak, to get our grubby hands on a copy. We got our preview build a while back. But now we have the final product; does it blow our socks into the black nothingness of space, or leave us as cold as Pluto? Find out inside Chris Martin\'s review.

If you, like we here at GamesFirst, can\'t stop playing Galactic Civilzations II:DreadLords, you owe it to yourself to pick up the new patch. Adding a host of fixes and additions, the patch keeps improving on an already stellar title. Also inside: \"Stranger\" developer diary sheds a little light on the upcoming title.

Zelda II was the last official Zelda title released on the NES in the United States, but there\'s speculation that maybe a third title existed, or was at least under development before the series was transferred to the SuperNES. Recently, a gamer claimed to have found a Legend of Zelda III NES cartridge at a flea market containing an unfinished build of the third Zelda installment. What unfolded was a series of events that include eBay listings, accusations of fraud, and an official denial of involvement from none other than the Canadian development company Silicon Knights. The cartridge ultimately sold for $3000 CAD (about $2500 USD). Or did it? We take a look at the time-line of events.

Stardock\'s popular turn-based strategy title is returning with GalacticCivilizations 2: DreadLords, which is currently in development. We\'ve been excited to see more from DreadLords ever since Chris got some quality time with the game at E3. New graphics, more detailed gameplay, and much more are on offer this time out. Check out these seven new screens, and check out Chris\' E3 coverage of DreadLords.

Due in October, Vicarious Visions\' PSP version of X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse looks to be a game well worth watching. The PSP has been in a serious drought lately, with lackluster titles and very few of them. It\'s a Nintendo-like wasteland of early development for PSP owners. But X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse could be a breakout hit this Fall, especially of it features a robust (and infrastructure) WiFi mode.

X-Men Legends was a popular title, and X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse looks to be a significant improvement. New features and gameplay elements should satisfy both hardcore X-Men fans as well as the general gaming audience.

game: E3 2005: A Meeting with Stardock, an hour with Galactic Civilzations II:Dreadlords

preview | 05/23/05 | Chris Martin

Stardock let us take a first look at Galactic Civilization II:Dreadlords, the sequel to their bestselling 4x space strategy of the same name sans the postscript. We're happy to report that the project, though early, is coming along very nicely. Chris has the scoop.